Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the force or gravity (in the form of weighted bars, dumbbells or weighted stacks) to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction. Weight training uses a variety of specialized equipment to target specific muscle groups and types of movement. Weight training differs from bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman, which are sports rather than forms of exercise. Weight training, however, is often part of the athlete's training regimen. Weight training can be one of the safest forms of exercise, especially when the movements are slow, controlled and carefully defined. However, as with any form of exercise, improper execution can result in injury. Aside from the obvious dangers such as pulled muscles, weight trainers must also look out for their hands. Applying too much pressure on the bars and handles can quickly result in painful blisters and unattractive calluses. To help prevent this, weight trainers typically employ protective gloves, wearing these as they work out. Unfortunately, gloves can present a couple of challenges. Particularly, these athletic accessories tend to be quite expensive, and can provide an impractical expense for many. In addition, most weight trainers feel that the gloves can hinder hand control, resulting in slippage as well as inaccurate weight pressure.
Revealed in the prior art are several devices to be employed either as gripping aids or protective pads for gripping weights or for use with other such devices having grips or handles. None of the prior art, however, includes all of the unique combination of elements of the present invention protective pad, which unique elements are disclosed herein. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,400 B1, entitled Hand at Rest Grip, issued to Pope on Feb. 6, 2001 discloses an attachment device for dumbbells and the like. The device is made up of two parts hingedly attached together to form a grasping area. Another example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,295 B2 issued to Tillim on Jun. 24, 2006 which patent shows an apparatus for gripping.
As none of the prior art disclosed the combination of elements of the present invention, the following are objectives of the protective pad disclosed herein. The protective pad would be simple to manufacture and lightweight and therefore facilitates the athlete carrying one or several of the pads of the present invention in his or her gym bag. The pad is manufactured from durable yet comfortable very thin rubberized material and is generally rectangular. On the top side of the invention, which is the side adjacent to the user's hands during employment, are disposed a plurality of treads to improve gripability and tactile feel. The bottom side of the invention is generally flat. Both surfaces and the treads have a tacky or static surface which slightly adheres to the grip of the dumbbell.
One object of the present invention is to absorb pressure placed onto the hands during the course of weight training thereby providing the user with a comfortable grip. Another objective of the present invention is to provide the user with a firm and stable grip onto the gripping portion of an exercise machine or barbell or dumbbell. This in turn obviates the necessity for the athlete to purchase, carry and employ more expensive, yet clumsier weight training gloves. A further advantage of the present invention is that the protective pad of the present invention could be utilized in a wide variety of athletic endeavors such as in connection with golf, tennis baseball and the like.
Other objects, advantages and novel features, and further scope of applicability of the present invention will be set forth in the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art, upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claim or claims.